As Tim Britton of Track and Field reported, both metro pitchers face significant long-term injuries Tylor Megill and Reed Garrett. Both right-handers were considering their choices before committing to a TJ program, and Garrett had already undergone another surgery to wait in the form of a planned procedure to move the nerves in his right arm.
The 30-year-old Megill last pitched on June 14 as he was occupied by a sprained elbow that (according to the pitcher) had no structural damage at the time. But, as Megill’s rehabilitation mission was shut down during the Sept. 7 Triple-A start, the latest test apparently conveyed unwelcome news of UCL damage.
Garrett has been battling elbow problems due to inflammation in the elbow because he missed two weeks (spanning late August and beginning in September). It didn’t seem to attract attention until yesterday when Garrett was thrown to the 15-day IL, his throwing elbow was twisted for 15 days.
Britton wrote that Garrett could choose to have a PRP injection and then see if that would be enough to cure his elbow, but the neurosurgery and the attached four-month recovery period are other obstacles. If Garrett had Tommy John’s surgery relatively quickly, he’d probably be ready to go before opening day 2027. If he goes on the PRP route until he fully recovers from the neurosurgery, he will not be able to shoot, so if he ends up wasting a lot of recovery time, he will have a lot of recovery time anyway. Garrett turned 33 in January, which adds to the nature of the tick’s foot, what it means for his long absence throughout his career.
At least, the 2025 season for both pitchers is at least over. This seems to be a bit like this given Megill’s long absence and Garrett’s late elbow sprain, but now the faint hope of returning even with the Mets’ playoff run is suppressed. If New York even makes the playoffs, it also gives the pitching Mets more problems to solve their arm depth, but the bigger plot problem is clearly the possibility that Megill and Megill and Garrett both missed the entire 2026 campaign.
During his five Major League Baseball seasons (all with the Mets), Megil was primarily a starter, but he was deployed to the back-end swivel arm, even the padded arm, rather than the really stable swivel member. Megill usually performed well with the chance, taking a step in 2025, posting 3.95 ERAs and 68 1/3 innings in 14 games. He has a 10.8% walk rate, but Megill’s 29.2% strikeout rate is career-best, and his gas price and barrel rate are also high.
2025 is also Garrett’s fifth major league season, although he also spent the 2020-21 season shooting in Japan. Garrett joined the Mets from the Orioles’ waiver requirement in 2023, before eventually setting himself up in the Grand Slam as a main member of the New York bullpen. Since the opening day of 2024, Garrett has had an ERA of 3.83 ERA in 111 appearances and 112 2/3 innings, with a strikeout rate of 30.3% and a walking rate of 11.5%. Aside from the control issues, Garrett is also a steady member of the Mets Bullpen, and seems to be constantly changing.
Megill is his first year of arbitration qualification and is paid 1.975mm in 2025. Garrett is only eligible for the ARB for the first time this off-court season and as a non-closed relief pitcher, he will maintain good salary and numerous salaries in 2026, which may be the case with these low prices that they may have very little. Even in the case of TJ surgery, the contract is still under control as the team is (presumably) healthy in 2027.
